Christianson Kids: Job Hunt!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

-Proverbs 3:5-6

I don't think I really understood the truth that these verses held when we we picked them as our wedding scripture almost 10 years ago. There have been many times when I've wondered why things happened and what God's purpose was in it. Often, when time passes and I look back at certain times/seasons of life, I see God's hand in even unpleasant circumstances and how he used them in ways that we couldn't have imagined.

We are currently in a position where we don't know what the future holds. The start-up company that hired Jared last year has made poor business decisions and led to them shutting down the projects that Jared (and others) were hired to do. Although this past year has been challenging, the experience was great for Jared to learn about how to run (and not to run) a business and to decide what is the right career move for the season of life that our young family is in.

So, with all of that said, Jared is on a job hunt! This is overwhelming and sudden for us, but also kind of exciting. We would be sad to leave friends that we have made here in the Dallas area, but also know that there may be great opportunites somewhere else. Jared has applied for jobs in Dallas, Denver, OKC, Tulsa, Houston, and even Calgary. I have my personal preferences for sure, but I pray that God would help me be willing to go anywhere He leads.

Enough of that, here are some updates on the kiddos!

Kai is doing well and continues to be my tender-hearted child. He knows how to melt mommy with those big brown eyes and sweet spirit! He also knows how to wake us up bright and early with his hearty laughs after he slips into Julia's room and starts having fun at 6 am! He just finished additional testing with the physical, occupational and speech therapists at the local grade school. It looks like he will qualify for the developmentally delayed preschool with his expressive speech delay and motor delays. His scores for cognition, receptive language, and fine motor skills looked great. I was against the idea of having him separated from Julia (at the church preschool), but I am realizing that he might really benefit from a language-rich environment and additional speech and physical therapy during the day. It will only be 2 1/2 hours, so I will still have plenty of time with him home.

Googly eyes

This boy LOVES the snow!

These days it is rare to find Julia without a princess costume on. She has at least 3 wardrobe changes a day along with her bright purple and orange high heels! I'm not sure how long this princess stage will last, but there is no signs of it slowing down! The funny thing is that she has only watched one Disney movie (Tangled), but thinks that she is best friends with Ariel, Cinderella, Tianna, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, and Pocohontas! She loves preschool, art, and playing make believe.

dressing up w/ Cousin Izzy in Nebraska

Loving on Cousin Mabel

Isaac is our little tornado and continues to humor us and exhaust us! He rarely slows down to eat, let along rest. He is talking more all the time, although he prefers to belt out a scream followed by a high pitched "Pweese!" once he has our attention! I can't believe that my baby will be two next month, although he hasn't looked or acted like a baby in a long time.

Weapons!

Sledding

Here are a few more pictures from our Christmas in Nebraksa. We had a great time celebrating with my family, including 8 children 4 and under! As you can see, there is never a dull moment! Thanks to my parents for hosting us and still wanting us back again.